2015 Kia Sedona Oil Consumption

[Crowley]

@Spike555 Other than Mobil 1 FS Euro Oil, I haven't touched any of the Mobil 1 Vanilla flavors in over 15 years. The only others I use are their EP oils. Same goes for Castrol, it's either their excellent Euro oils or their Extended Performance oils. I believe that due to how certain Mobil 1 oils are blended, in certain engines, they evaporate faster than other oils. This is not a knock on Mobil 1. Castrol oils are made primarely with Group III and Group III+ base oils, and from what I understand they have higher flash points and lower NOACK than other base oils. Either way, Mobil 1 has revamped their formulations in at least a few times during the past decade. Some people have had bad experiences with AMSOIL, so YMMW.

 

[Luftmasse]

The solenoids? There is no TSB, and Hyundai wanted to take my wife's entire engine apart to figure it out. I didn't let them because the workmanship quality at the dealership doesn't match that of the factory. After trying out a few different oils, I swapped the batter for an AGM unit, and the problem went away. Someone else in my family has the same vehicle, same model year, even the same color. I did the AGM battery swap on that one as well, but that family member is quick-tripping the car, so it's not charging enough throughout the day and the problem returned. The root cause is that the battery is too small to begin with to space constraints. I took that vehicle on a longer trip and the problem went away for a few days, until the battery was weak enough again.

So no, there is no TSB. Most mechanics will misdiagnose this issue as a tensioner that went bad, but it isn't. Hyundai Tech Net (or whatever their back end network is called) doesn't have a clue and they don't want to acknowledge the issue. The 3.3L Lambda II engine is out of production anyway, so all Hyundai needs to do is wait out the warranties to come to an end for those that are still out there.

These are my factual findings. I only posted them in an attempt to help whoever I can and may need my help.


I have experience with 3 of these Lamba II engines, one of them being from a 2013 Santa Fe. None of them consumed a drop of oil whether the OCI was 5000 miles or 8000 miles. That's been my experience with them, YMMW.

If the battery was not sufficient enough, wouldn't it affect more than just the CVVT?

 

[Mathew_Boss]

Well, 5W-40 is a recommended viscosity for that engine. In fact, every 3.3L Lambda II engine shipped to Europe and other parts of the world had Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 as the factory fill.

Take a look in the owner's manual, 5W-40 should be there. That motor loves a good 40wt.

Mine says 5W-30 A5/B5 or as an alternative 5W-30 meeting API SL or higher. In climates that are bove 0 you can use 10W-30 API SL or higher

 

[Crowley]

If the battery was not sufficient enough, wouldn't it affect more than just the CVVT?

This problem occurs briefly when you crank the engine, before the alternator has a chance to get the voltage back up. Do I fully understand the problem? No, I don't. I only know what causes it and what fixes it for the 2017 Santa Fe XL, and probably for the other model years as well, since they all share the same components and battery size.

My though was ignition, and how come it's not affected. Well, the other person in my family who has the same vehicle model killed the original battery by short-tripping the vehicle, so never mind ignition, the engine would barely turn over. That's how I actually figured out the problem. Once I replaced that battery with an AGM, there was no start-up rattle for a while, until the battery became weak enough.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I don't see an issue here.

 

[Spike555]

@Spike555 Other than Mobil 1 FS Euro Oil, I haven't touched any of the Mobil 1 Vanilla flavors in over 15 years. The only others I use are their EP oils. Same goes for Castrol, it's either their excellent Euro oils or their Extended Performance oils. I believe that due to how certain Mobil 1 oils are blended, in certain engines, they evaporate faster than other oils. This is not a knock on Mobil 1. Castrol oils are made primarely with Group III and Group III+ base oils, and from what I understand they have higher flash points and lower NOACK than other base oils. Either way, Mobil 1 has revamped their formulations in at least a few times during the past decade. Some people have had bad experiences with AMSOIL, so YMMW.

I only used Mobil 1 because it was $25/case at Costco and it was supposed to be a good oil, and at one time I believe it was. Now it is all marketing and riding their own coat tails.

 

[Crowley]

I only used Mobil 1 because it was $25/case at Costco and it was supposed to be a good oil, and at one time I believe it was. Now it is all marketing and riding their own coat tails.

Mobil 1 bashing has never gone out of style, but truth be told, it's not bad oil. I'm guilty of making some less than savory statements about them as well, just to turn around and give them another chance. Not everything they make is "gold", and their gear oils and transmission fluids don't have exactly a stellar reputation. Not exactly all transmission fluids, just some of them. And then they had that goof-up with the Mobil 1 ATF LV HP, which they had to reformulate for GM. But their motor oil is solid.

And just like you find people that have something bad to say about Mobil 1, you'll find those who don't like Pennzoil or Castrol. And for the most part their reasons are non-scientific and just personal preference, opinion, or they experienced some oil consumption with one of these brands in their engines. And the funny thing is that the oil consumption might not even be related to the oil.

You also have to realize that the 0W-16, 0W-20, 5W-20, 0W-30, and 5W-30, all of these viscosities are now highly regulated. API SP places many restrictions on them, while at the same time asking a lot from them. I try to avoid these oils as much as possible, and only use them when there is a good reason for it, like in the Sonata. This particular vehicle has START/STOP, and other people in my family drive it. Still, we live in a hot climate. A 5W-30 ILSAC oil is therefore very appropriate for this engine. It gets up to operating temperature, and even if the engine is off for a while at a stop light or sitting in traffic, the oil is not too thick for when the engine starts back up.

But old tech engines like the 3.3 Lamba II discussed here? Well, they were never designed for thin oils in the first place.